


She's my... Pepper

by fritokays



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Flash Thompson is a little shit, IronMom, Irondad, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28924305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fritokays/pseuds/fritokays
Summary: I thought I'd try my hand at a cute Peter story. When May decides to move for work, Peter stays with Tony and Pepper. It's all cute fluff and snippets from their life together as a family. This one is very centered around the mother/son bond that forms between Peter and Pepper because I think it's just too cute and there's not enough for it out there.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 44
Kudos: 356





	She's my... Pepper

Peter had been devastated when his aunt had announced her plan to move them across the country. She’d found a better job, in a nicer town, and a good school for Peter as well. He loved his aunt, he truly did, but his life was here. He had everything here; his friends, his school, spider-man, the girl of his dreams who’d only just started to give him the time of day as anything other than a friend, and his mentor. Mentor. He loved Tony Stark like a father. He knew it, and he suspected that Mr. Stark knew the same.

So he’d told his aunt he was excited. This was good for her, and he wasn’t going to hold her back. But he hadn’t hidden it well anywhere else. His time at the tower and spent in the lab seemed bittersweet. Mr. Stark had caught on to his mood quickly and had pried the secret out of the teen. He’d hugged the boy then and told him how much he’d miss him, how much he cared, that he was always there for him, no matter what happened. 

But Peter had been upset, depressed, and just out-right sad about this move. His aunt did finally notice. She noticed he wasn’t eating as much, didn’t enjoy patrolling as much anymore, didn’t care about his academic team anymore, and rarely did she catch sight of that killer smile he’d learned to use against her at about two years of age. She loved her nephew, and so she’d done the only thing she could think of for him.

She called Tony Stark. She hadn’t known how to tell him her thoughts. How to ask him what she, in the end, truly wanted to ask him. She’d stumbled through an explanation of her job, the move, the benefits. Then she had switched gears entirely, discussed Peter’s current status, his mood, his mental health. Tony had, of course, noticed. How could he not? They’d talked about the kid for a while before May got the nerve up to blurt out the question. 

Tony Stark was, for lack of a better word, shocked. He was quiet for so long that May had thought he’d hung up on her. She wouldn’t have blamed him in the least. It was a big ask, and out of the blue as well. But after a few moments, he’d smiled, felt his heart swell, and agreed on the spot. He’d have Pepper draw up the paperwork. They’d talk to the kid together tomorrow. Get the ball rolling if that’s what he wanted.

Peter had been floored. The conversation started simple enough. Mr. Stark had invited the two of them over to the tower for dinner. He and Pepper, mostly Pepper, had made dinner and the four of them sat around the table and discussed the move, school, patrols, missions, anything that came up. Before dessert, Tony and May had told Peter they had something to discuss with him. They told him their plan, asked him his opinion, assured him that it was completely up to him, no feelings would be hurt, and May was a big girl and would be just fine without him. He’d given a watery laugh and hugged his aunt tightly before all but throwing himself into Mr. Stark’s arms and being hugged back just as tightly.

So that was that. Peter had said goodbye to his aunt, promised to call at least twice a week with a life update, promised to visit when possible, and the fifteen-year-old had permanently moved into the tower.

0~0~0

And now Peter had more family than he wanted at times. He had his dad-like Mr. Stark, his mom-like Ms. Potts, he had his “uncles” Clint, Sam, Steve, and Thor when he was around, he had Dr. Banner who seemed more like a grand-father for some reason, he had “aunt” Natasha, and his “sister” Wanda. There was almost always someone around. He never felt alone.

Peter moved permanently into one of the rooms in the tower. Ms. Potts had sat him down and tried to help him pick out furniture before just laughing at the boy who didn’t know anything about furniture or decorating. She ended up pulling him into her side and showing him what she thought would be functional and also pleasing to look at for his room. He’d been grateful for her help, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d come that close to cuddling with someone other than Wanda when the two of them huddled together to watch movies or play video games on the couch.

A routine had been made almost seamlessly. Happy drove Peter to school, even though the kid protested it every morning saying that he could catch a bus. Peter patrolled after school until 6:00 when he was to be home and working on his schoolwork until dinner. They had dinner, sometimes just the three of them, sometimes with the addition of more of the avengers. Peter finished any schoolwork he had left, and usually joined Mr. Stark in the lab or did the dirty dishes for Ms. Potts and insisted that she leave them for him. The woman always argued with him, insisting that he go join Mr. Stark in the lab, but he liked doing the dishes for her. She shouldn’t have to make dinner and clean up. He’d always done them for May on the few occasions that she’d made them dinner.

On the weekends, he joined the Avengers on missions if there were any. If there weren’t, he hung around the tower with Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner in the lab or trained in the gym with Natasha, Steve, and Clint. On a few occasions, he accompanied Ms. Potts on a shopping excursion and carried her bags for her stating that it was no problem for him to carry them (they truly weighed very little to him thanks to his mutated DNA) and that way she could shop unimpeded. 

Peter grew to love his new life, as unconventional as it was.

0~0~0

He was going to be late. He just knew it. His last gas station robbery had taken longer than he had anticipated and now he was at least twenty minutes away but only had ten minutes to get back to the tower. Mr. Stark was out of town this week, so he didn’t have to worry about him right now. Ms. Potts was home though and disappointing her somehow almost seemed worse than disappointing Mr. Stark. He wished he had somewhere to stow his phone in his suit, but it stayed tucked in his bag which he’d stashed as he swung by the tower earlier during his patrol.

He shot spider webs and pulled and swung with all his might. In the end, he was six minutes late and out of breath as he ran into the building and towards the elevator. “Friday, will you let Ms. Potts know that I’m here?” He asked, out of breath, as he waited for the elevator to climb to the top floor. 

“Already done, Peter. She’s in the dining room waiting for you,” The AI responded to him and Peter felt his heart sink. She was angry with him.

When the elevator finally finished its ascent, he ran off of it and skidded to a stop in the dining room. Ms. Potts was there setting two plates onto the bar area. They ate at the bar if no one else was joining them and reserved setting the table for when there was more than the three of them eating dinner, “Hello, darling, how was patrol?” She asked casually as she made her way back into the kitchen. Peter swallowed hard. Uh oh. He followed her into the kitchen, and she jumped when she turned around to see him standing there. “Woah, make some noise, those spider senses only work for you,” She said with a laugh and Peter felt terrible.

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Potts,” He said and dropped his gaze to the floor. Pepper froze as she was reaching for the pasta she’d made for dinner and turned to look at him. His tone was enough to stop her in her tracks. Something wasn’t right.

“It’s fine, Peter. You just startled me is all,” She said hesitantly. It wasn’t like him to be this remorseful over scaring her a little. Half the time he and at least one of the other Avengers were playing pranks on whoever got in their path, sometimes that happened to be her.

“It’s not that,” Peter said quietly, still not looking up at her, “I was late for curfew,” He mumbled and she felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips as she started to understand, “I know it’s the number one rule and I broke it and I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. The robbery just took longer than I thought and then I couldn’t make it across town fast enough and my phone was here and-” She cut him off.

“Peter, woah, slow down,” She said as she took a step towards him, “I’m not angry with you. Yes, you broke curfew, but you did your best to get back home on time. I saw the robbery on the news, I knew you were there and that you would most likely be a little late. Six minutes is hardly anything for me to be upset about when I know exactly where you were and what you were doing, darling.”

Peter finally looked up into her eyes and stared for a moment, searching. “Really?” He asked hesitantly, “You’re sure you’re not mad?” He asked and earned a ‘Pepper smile’. One of those smiles that just reminded him of the vague feeling of his mom.

“No, darling, I’m not mad at you,” She said and reached for him, “Come here,” She whispered and pulled him into a hug, “I appreciate you getting home as quickly as you could, and I also appreciate you even just giving the thought to calling me and letting me know, I know you wouldn’t break curfew on purpose,” She said as she ran her fingers through his unruly curls, “Now go get changed out of the suit and join me for dinner. I’m starving!”

0~0~0

Nearing the end of the week and approaching Mr. Stark’s return, Peter had a nightmare. He hadn’t had one in nearly a month and had had them less frequently since moving into the tower. But he was still a kid and saw more horrors on the daily than most adults could even fathom thinking about. He sat up in a cold sweat and ran a hand over his face as he fully woke up and breathed through his nose to calm himself down.

“Your heart rate is elevated, and you seem distressed. Are you distressed? Would you like me to notify anyone?” Came the voice of Friday.

“I’m fine, Fri,” Peter responded and grabbed his phone from his bedside table as he laid back down.

0~0~0

Pepper woke slowly and blinked a few times before realizing that someone had called her name. She sat up and glanced around, “Ms. Potts?” She sighed. Friday.

“Yes, Friday?” She responded and rubbed at her eyes.

“Peter is distressed in his room and his heart rate is elevated. He says he’s fine,” Pepper furrowed her eyebrows as she stood and grabbed a cardigan to throw on over her light tank top and sleep shorts. She padded out of her room and down the hallway to Peter’s door.

Pepper knocked lightly before opening the door and stepping into the room. Peter looked up in alarm and then just fixed her with a confused look. He was on his phone, and the glow was enough light to let Pepper see that his eyes did look a little wilder than normal.

“Are you okay?” She asked softly as she stepped closer to him.

“Um, yes?” He said more like a question than anything and then gave her a look that easily meant ‘what are you doing here?’.

“Friday woke me up,” Pepper explained as Peter sat up to speak to her more comfortably.

“Ugh. I told her not to,” Peter grumbled.

“You told me you were fine,” Friday said and Peter rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“I’m glad she woke me up,” Pepper said and cautiously took a seat on the edge of his bed, “Are you okay?” She asked again, more pointedly.

“I’m fine,” Peter whispered and looked at his hands in his lap, “Just a nightmare. Nothing major,” He explained and Pepper felt her heart break. It was no secret she had a soft spot for the kid. Hell, she loved the kid, maybe more than Tony at this point. Maybe. He’d definitely want to argue with her about that.

“Peter, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We all have nightmares,” She said and reached out to grab one of his fidgeting hands, “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked and received a shake of his head after a moment of thought, “Do you need anything, darling?” She asked and he finally met her eyes, “What is it, Peter?”

The boy seemed to have some sort of internal struggle before sighing, “Could I…” He trailed off and looked to the other side of his room. Pepper squeezed his hand and let him have his moment to collect himself, “Could I hug you?” He barely whispered and definitely didn’t look at her to ask the question.

Her lips pulled up in a smile before she was scooting towards him and enveloping him in her arms, “Darling, you don’t have to ask,” She whispered against his hair and finally felt his own arms wrap tightly around her back, “I love you, Peter. You’re never alone.”

She felt his arms tighten marginally around her and felt her heart swell with even more affection for ‘her kid’. She brought a hand up and ran her fingers through his curls and felt him relax after just a few minutes, “I love you too.”

0~0~0

When Tony returned home, it was to a tower full of more love than he’d left it with. He walked into the tower to Peter sparring with Natasha and decided to let the kid get his training in and talk with him later. He’d found Pepper in the office and couldn’t help the smile on his own face when hers had lit up as she’d seen him.

She’d filled him in on what had happened through the week with the company, the Avengers, and Peter. He’d definitely argued with her about who loved the kid more before they’d both laughed it off and agreed to disagree on the topic. 

Tony had also been filled in from the kid and the other Avengers as well. He’d even been shown the adorable footage of Pepper comforting Peter by Friday. That little scene was enough to make tears spring to the corners of his eyes as he watched the two people who he considered to be his closest family.

He could tell the difference between them in person now too. Peter easily spoke with Pepper about anything and everything under the sun. He often feared the kid might quite literally talk her ear off. Pepper seemed more relaxed around him as well, not that she’d ever seemed stiff with him either though. But now she casually ran her fingers through his curls, dropped a chaste kiss to his head, or gave him quick hugs as she walked by him. Peter didn’t seem to mind either.

Tony took this all in stride. He loved it if he was being honest. The kid, his kid, was a growing staple in the tower. He was having Natasha teach him knife throwing, which she secretly loved but acted as if it were a chore. Clint was teaching him archery and truly seemed to love getting to pass this knowledge on to someone. Peter was studying the war in school and Steve was only too happy to sit down and talk war and history with him for hours. He and Wanda did typical teen stuff being that she was only a few years older than him. They were often found standing on the couch in an intense game of Mario Kart, yelling playfully over a game of checkers, seeing who could fit more marshmallows in their mouth at one time, or even crying together over a cliché rom-com.

But mostly, Peter spent time in the lab. He seemed to genuinely enjoy his time in the lab. He worked with the other interns once a week and worked with Tony on whatever the current project was any other time that he was in the lab. The kid was brilliant. Nearly as brilliant as Tony himself in fact. He worked hard and he always worked double hard to find his mistakes or errors. He was full of ideas and opinions, and Tony grew to truly appreciate them.

The kid had made this tower of chaos a true family just by being there and being himself.

0~0~0

It was a few weeks later when Peter finally decided to head to the nurse’s office after being told several times that day by several different people to do so, his head was pounding, his ears were ringing, and his throat was killing him. The nurse took one look at him, sat him down, took his temperature, and pulled up his records.

Peter caught sight of her wide-eyed expression out of the corner of his own eye but couldn’t focus enough on her right now to wonder what had caused it. He leaned back in the chair and rested his head against the wall as he closed his eyes.

He was woken a few moments later by a still slightly bewildered looking nurse, but the woman was also looking at him in concern as well. “I couldn’t get Mr. Stark on the phone but I did reach Ms. Potts who says she is on her way,” She told him, and he nodded and thanked her quietly as he closed his eyes again.

He couldn’t fall asleep again, but he did just sit there in the silence, grateful that no other student needed the nurse at that moment so he could relax. Eventually, the back of his neck prickled, and he heard the now familiar sound of heels clacking against the hallway floor coming towards the nurse’s office.

Peter opened his eyes as the office door opened and made eye contact with Ms. Potts. She shot him a soft smile before turning to check him out with the nurse. That smile was enough to make Peter feel slightly better. He knew that he would be home and with his family soon.

“Peter, darling, are you ready?” She asked softly when she was finished and had stepped over to the boy’s side. He opened his eyes again and gave a small nod before standing slowly. Ms. Potts reached for his backpack, but he shook his head and grabbed it himself. She gave him a pointed look and he just shrugged before thanking the nurse as they left the office.

Once they were in the hallway, she threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him against her side, “Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t feel well this morning, darling?” She asked as she used that same hand to feel his forehead. She grimaced at the very obvious fever.

Peter leaned into her and sighed as he laid his head down on her shoulder. He was thankful that no one was in the hallways to see this, though he wasn’t sure he’d care much if they were at this point. “I didn’t want to worry anyone. I figured it was a cold,” He murmured quietly.

She led him out of the building and to the car where Happy was waiting, “Good to see you, kid. Though you’ve looked better,” Peter gave a small grin in response as he climbed into the car and slid over so Ms. Potts wouldn’t have to go around the car.

Once they were all in and ready, Happy pulled out of the parking lot and Ms. Potts turned to face him. “Peter, you know you’re not any bother, right? That you can tell us anything? You don’t need to feel like you have to hide anything, darling. Tony and I both want to be there for anything you need,” She whispered as she reached out and soothingly ran her fingers through his curls. He sighed softly and leaned into the touch earning him a small smile.

“Yeah, I guess I know that. It’s just weird because I’ve always more or less done everything on my own. I really did think it was a cold and would go away on its own. And you were so busy this morning and Mr. Stark was in the lab already. I thought I had it handled,” He replied sheepishly.

“Well, next time, though I hope there isn’t a next time but we both know there will be, please let one of us know okay?” She asked as he leaned into her side once again.

“I will, Ms. Potts,” He replied to her and she smiled again.

“You know you don’t have to call me Ms. Potts right, Peter? You can call me Pepper or whatever,” She told him and earned a shrug.

“I dunno. It seems disrespectful,” He said and she couldn’t help her smile once again. God, she loved this kid.

“Well, whenever you feel like it, know that you can, okay?” She received a nod as Peter fell asleep against her, “I love you, Peter,” She whispered and dropped a kiss to wild curls.

0~0~0

They exited the elevator together and Pepper led a half-asleep Peter over to the couch in the main room for the time being. She got him settled before leaving the room and coming back a moment later. She held out a bottle of water and opened her hand with a few pain killers in it. Peter grabbed the water and eyed the pills for a moment before taking them out of her hand hesitantly.

Pepper noticed his hesitance and raised an eyebrow as she watched him unscrew the cap of the water, “What is it?” She asked softly and took a seat next to him. He normally gave off very little heat as he couldn’t easily regulate his own body temperature, but right now he was radiating heat she could feel.

“Nothing,” He said and shook his head. 

“Peter, we just talked about this,” She said with a soft smile, “Tell me, darling,” She prodded gently.

“It’s nothing really,” He insisted and she just looked at him, “It’s just, my body will burn these off in about ten minutes without actually utilizing them so I normally don’t take anything,” He said with a shrug. The woman felt terrible. Of course her human strength drugs wouldn’t work on him.

“Oh, Peter. I’m sorry,” She said and stood, “I’ll be right back.”

“Ms. Potts, it’s fine, really. I don’t need anything,” He insisted.

“Peter, you’re burning up, you’re in pain, we have a doctor for super-humans in the building, and I would feel so much better if you took something,” She said and reached out to push his hair off of his forehead, “Please, darling?” She asked. He finally gave a nod and listened to her walk away and back into the elevator.

While she was gone, Peter kicked his shoes off and pulled his knees up close to his chest. He laid his head down on the arm of the couch and sighed. If he could just get some sleep, he’d probably be fine. His body normally fought these things off pretty quickly.

He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, he was being awoken again by fingers weaving gently through his hair. He groaned slightly and opened his eyes to the concerned blue ones of Pepper Potts. “I’m sorry to keep waking you. I promise this will be the last time for a while,” She said softly and Peter sat up and took the much gnarlier looking pill from her. He swallowed it without water and then let out a low chuckle at the look on her face as he did so. “Do you need anything else?” She asked.

“No, ma’am,” He answered sleepily, “Thank you,” He whispered and she couldn’t help but lean forward and kiss his forehead as she stood.

He listened to her move around for a few moments before she finally settled down… on the other end of the couch. He opened his eyes and looked over at her as she typed away, quietly though, on her laptop. “Umm,” He started and she looked over at him, “What are you doing?” He tried to ask in the nicest tone possible.

She laughed softly, “Working,” She said in a playful tone and gestured towards her computer, “Unless I’m going to keep you awake. I just didn’t want to leave you alone.”

Peter nearly cried at the statement. He had to physically will back tears. God if he could remember his mother any more than the vague feeling he had of her, he’d bet she’d be just like this. He hoped she would anyway. “No, no. It’s fine,” He said, “But you don’t have to. I’m sure you could be more productive in your office?” He said more like a question and she shrugged.

“I’ll manage.”

0~0~0

When Peter slowly woke again, his head still hurt, but his throat was starting to feel much better at least. He shifted slightly and then froze. What was he laying on? He’d fallen asleep on the arm of the couch..., on his other side. Where was he now?

Peter chanced cracking one eye open and realized, to his horror, that he was lying along the length of the couch with his head in Pepper Potts’ lap. How in the world did that happen? He slowly became aware of her humming softly as she ran her fingers idly through his hair as well. He couldn’t really say he minded that much. It was comforting. But he was horrified that he’d done this without her permission.

Peter slowly sat up. She was reading on her tablet, her reading glasses perched on her nose. She looked at him as he moved and sat the device down. “Feel better?” She asked as if it were completely normal for him to be lying on her. He nodded after a moment and rubbed at his eyes trying to wipe the remnants of sleep away that were still clinging to his subconscious. “What’s wrong?” She asked. He must have shown his discomfort on his face, “Does your head still hurt?” She asked in concern.

He shook his head, “No. Well, yes, but not as badly. It’s fine,” He murmured, still half-asleep. He saw that she wasn’t buying his answer and sighed, “I’m sorry about…” He gestured towards the couch and himself and her. She just breathed out a laugh.

“Peter, it’s fine, darling. Most people seek heat when they’re sick,” She said, “Especially those who don’t normally make their own,” She said teasingly and he smiled in return at the playful jab. “Are you sure there’s nothing else bothering you? We could go down and see Dr. Cho?” She offered.

“No, I think I’ll be fine,” He caught her look, “Honestly this time. I’m feeling better,” He said earnestly, “I might go lie down for a little while longer though,” He mumbled as he rubbed at his tired eyes again.

“Okay, darling. I’m going to start dinner then. I’ll let you know when it’s done, okay?” She asked softly and he nodded in response. They stood at the same time and Peter hesitated only momentarily before stepping forward and enveloping her in a bear hug before he lost the nerve. Pepper stilled for only a moment before she was also embracing him. She rubbed her hand over his back soothingly as she held him tight. 

“Thank you,” He mumbled into her shoulder.

“Any time, darling.”

0~0~0

When Tony arrived home, he wasn’t nearly tackled coming out of the elevator like normal. He’d been told that Peter was sick and now he was realizing that the kid was actually sick and not just feeling bad.

He followed the smell of food into the kitchen to find Pepper putting the finishing touches on dinner, “That smells great,” He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and felt her lean back against him, “Where’s the kid?”

“He’s in his room sleeping,” She answered and spun in his arms to place a quick kiss to his lips, “He slept for a while on the couch and then relocated earlier. I told him I’d let him know when dinner was ready.”

“I’ll go get him,” Tony responded and kissed her once more before leaving the room and heading for Peter’s.

Tony pushed Peter’s door open and paused to watch the kid for a few moments. He finally reached out and touched his shoulder gently, “Peter,” He said softly and watched the kid’s eyes flutter open slowly, “Hey, bud. How you feeling?” He asked.

“Better,” Peter answered simply and sat up. Tony pressed his hand to Peter’s forehead and nodded.

“You feel like your fever probably broke, so that’s good,” He commented and earned a small grin, “Pep says dinner’s ready. Your appetite isn’t ruined, right?” He asked and the kid rolled his eyes with a smile on his face “Didn’t think so. Go ahead, I’ll be right there.”

Peter left the room and Tony made a short stop in the bathroom before making his way to the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and felt his heart swell again. Damn these two making him seem like he actually did have a heart after all. Peter and Pepper stood next to the bar, backs to Tony. Pepper’s arm wrapped around Peter’s back and his over her shoulders. She was telling him something quietly and earned herself one of his genuine laughs. Tony watched her place a kiss to the side of his head before they separated to take their seats. He chose then to make his presence known and take his own seat.

“So, how’d the day go?”

0~0~0

“Tony, where are you going?” Pepper murmured as she listened to Tony move around early the next morning. She was still clinging to the few moments of sleep she had left before getting up to start her day.

“To wake the kid up for school, Pep,” Tony responded with what sounded like humor in his voice. Pepper opened her eyes and sat up to look at him in confusion, “What?” He asked.

“We aren’t sending him to school. He was sick yesterday,” Pepper said in explanation and Tony just laughed in response.

“Pep, he’s completely back to normal. Super-human, remember?” He asked and saw her slip into her face that definitely meant she was going to argue with him.

“Tony Stark, he was sick yesterday. Super-human or not, he is not going to school today,” She said and raised her eyebrows, daring him to challenge her on this.

“Pepper,” He tried and the eyebrows rose even higher as her look got even more steely, “He shouldn’t miss school.”

“He’s a genius, Tony,” She dead panned and Tony nearly laughed, but he couldn’t give into her this easily, “He’s not going.”

“What’s this really about?” Tony asked as he made his way over to her and sat down in front of her on the bed. Pepper rolled her eyes, “Babe?” He asked softly.

She sighed before answering him, “I’m not going to send my baby to school only a day after he was as sick as he was yesterday. It just doesn’t seem right, Tony. What if he gets sick again? He’s staying home today,” She finished. Tony could no longer keep the grin off of his face. And Pepper huffed in response to it, “What?”

“Your what?” He asked playfully and Pepper furrowed her eyebrows letting him know that she didn’t follow the question, “You’re not going to send your what to school?” He clarified. He watched as she thought through her little speech before her eyes widened comically and he let out a chuckle. “Pepper, you know he’s fine, right?” 

“Tony-” She started and he shook his head and cut her off before she could finish.

He held his hands up in defeat, “Fine, fine, mama-bear. The kid can stay home. But you have to go convince your baby that he’s staying home. You know he doesn’t like to miss school,” He said as he stood again and shook his head good naturedly at her. He couldn’t get the smile off of his face though.

“Fine,” She said before she was launching herself out of the bed and into his arms. He caught her laughing and hugged her tightly as she did the same, “I just-” She started and couldn’t find the words.

“I know, Pep, I know. He’s too pure for this world and you want to protect him, right?” He asked and felt her nod against him. “Me too.”

0~0~0

After Pepper was dressed for the day, she headed down the hallway and knocked softly before entering when Peter called out that it was open. “Hey, Ms. Potts,” He said as he saw her there. He was throwing his notebook into his backpack and she noticed he was already dressed. She grimaced, “What’s up?” He asked casually.

“So,” She started and he turned to face her. He squinted his eyes before sighing. 

“You’re going to make me stay home aren’t you?” He asked, but he laughed and had a small grin on his face. She pursed her lips, “I feel fine, really, Ms. Potts.”

“I know you do, darling. But you were really sick yesterday and something just doesn’t feel right about sending you back to school today,” She said softly as she stepped over to him and put the back of her hand to his forehead just to reassure herself. Peter bit his lip before deciding and turned the absolutely most adorable pout on her. Her hand dropped immediately and her jaw fell open, “That’s completely unfair,” She protested weakly, “I’m just trying to make sure you’re really one hundred percent, P,” She whispered and saw his own face fall. So her return “pout” had worked as well. Damn, she was going to have to learn how to work around that pout of his though. She’d give him just about whatever he wanted right now.

“Fine,” He sighed and Pepper only felt a little bad about the guilt trip she’d laid on him, “But can I at least work in the lab?” He asked and bounced a little like an excited puppy.

She laughed and nodded, “Yes, but only if you promise not to overdo it.”

“I promise!” He exclaimed as he dropped his backpack into his desk chair, “Thanks, Ms. Potts!” He said as he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek on his way out of the door. 

Pepper just shook her head, smile firmly planted on her face, “That boy is going to be the death of me. I just know it.”

0~0~0

Things had been going well. Peter had gone back to school, the Avengers still went on regular missions, Peter did his patrols, Pepper managed the company, life was good. Peter had been living with them about three months now, and Pepper and Tony couldn’t have been happier. Tony had always seen the kid as his own, and he now relentlessly teased Pepper about ‘her baby’…out of Peter’s hearing range of course.

It was a rare weekend where all three of them, plus some of the others, were home. Tony was off in the tower doing God only knows what, Pepper was tying up some loose ends in her email as she moved around the kitchen, and Peter was on the couch with Wanda playing some new game that Tony had brought home for the two of them.

Pepper grabbed the popcorn that had just finished and emptied the bag into a large bowl before heading into the living room with it. She stopped behind the couch and watched the game on the screen for a few moments before shrugging and sitting the popcorn between the two teens.

“Thank you,” Wanda said without looking away from the screen. She smiled and told the girl she was welcome. 

She turned to head back out of the room when Peter also called out his thanks, “Thanks, Pepper!” He said and then, “Ugh, Wan, come on!” Followed by a groan as the girl just giggled. 

Pepper had frozen momentarily. It had taken this long for him to call her anything other than ‘Ms. Potts’. She left the room quickly, smile firmly in place and tears welling up in her eyes. She bumped into Tony as she was entering their room and he was leaving it. “Hey, woah, are you okay?” He asked in concern.

“I’m fine,” She said but her voice was watery.

“What happened?” He asked and she could hear the concern lacing his tone. 

“He called me Pepper,” She cried and leaned into Tony’s body. She felt him laugh against her as he wrapped his arms around her though.

“Oh, baby,” He said through a laugh, “What are we going to do when the kid slips and calls you ‘mom’ the first time?” He said as a joke.

Pepper gasped and smacked him softly on the chest, “Quit that. My heart can’t handle it right now,” She mumbled.

0~0~0

“Umm, Pepper?” The woman in question looked up to see Peter standing in the doorway to her office and beckoned him in as she finished the document she was working on. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him take a seat and saw him start to bounce his leg and also lift a hand to his mouth to bite at his fingernails. She’d noticed that a lot this last week or so. She hoped that she didn’t make him anxious but that’s what seemed to be happening.

“What is it, darling?” She asked as she saved the document and turned to face him and give him her attention.

“Umm,” He ran a hand through his hair and looked to the side before looking back to her. His other leg was now bouncing and he was chewing on his bottom lip.

“Peter, baby, what’s wrong?” She asked and stood to round the desk. Whatever was making him this anxious, she wanted to get to the bottom of.

“Nothing’s wrong,” He rushed to assure her. He was too late though; her hands were on his forehead checking for a fever and then she was holding his face in both hands and checking his pupils. He sighed.

“Do you feel okay? Do you need anything? What can I do, darling?” She asked him and he almost laughed at the rapid-fire questions. He did let an amused smile briefly stretch across his lips and she furrowed her eyebrows at him, “What?”

“Nothing,” He shook his head. She raised her eyebrows, “Ya know, Tony calls this your ‘super protective’ mode,” He said with a laugh. She rolled her eyes. What the kid didn’t know was that he actually called it ‘protective mama-bear mode’, but he didn’t need to know that right now.

“Peter, you’re worrying me,” She said pointedly so he would finally tell her what he had come into the office for.

“I need to see a doctor,” He said simply.

“What?! You just said you were fine!” She said in shock.

“Woah, woah,” He said trying to calm her down, “I am fine. It’s nothing really,” He received a look and continued, “So… I ran out of my ADHD meds a couple weeks ago and I thought it would be fine so I didn’t say anything, but it’s not fine and now I can’t focus in school, and I can’t finish anything I start, and fights are becoming too hard because everything is all at once, and the sensory overload is starting to seep in again,” He trailed off and she just stared at him, “Pepper?”

“That’s it?” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god,” She murmured, “Not that this isn’t a big thing, but I can handle this,” She sighed, “I’ll get you in with Tony’s psych this week, okay? I need to get his filled again anyway too, so we’ll do it all at once.”

“Tony is on ADHD meds?” Peter asked adorably.

“Oh yeah,” Pepper said as she leaned back against the front of her desk, “Talk about mad scientist. You should see what he comes up with when he’s been off them a few days and they’re completely out of his system,” She laughed, “Is there anything else, darling?” She asked him softly.

“That was it,” He said and stood from the seat he had taken. She tugged him into a tight hug and then froze and immediately pulled back.

“I’m so sorry. You literally just told me you were having sensory issues,” She apologized and Peter shook his head and embraced her again.

“Don’t worry about it,” He mumbled into her shoulder, “You don’t bother me.”

0~0~0

Peter trailed along beside Pepper as the two of them walked down the sidewalk together. She’d needed to pick some things up and had asked if Peter wanted to accompany her. He’d agreed.  
They’d been the only two in the tower anyway and he didn’t mind spending time with her, even if it was just shopping. She was laughing at something he’d said when he felt his senses light up. He tried to ignore them until he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up on end. He grabbed Pepper’s arm that was closest to him and tugged so she was behind him as he spun around, “Peter what-” She stopped talking when she looked up.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, buddy?” Peter asked the man that he’d just caught about to grab Pepper for god knows what. The woman had never heard this tone come from her kid.

“Fuck off, kid,” The man said gruffly and attempted to walk on as if Peter hadn’t just caught him. Peter grabbed his arm and twisted it, “What the fuck?” The man said and his tone was laced with a tinge of fear now.

“Peter,” Pepper said warningly, “Let him go, darling.”

“Mama, he tried to hurt you,” He said, not taking his eyes off of the man in his grip. He tightened his hold some and she heard the man groan.

“I know he did, baby, but you can’t do this here, not now,” She said with just enough authority in her voice for him to give one last twist before letting the man go. Peter watched him leave with fire in his eyes before turning to face Pepper.

“I’m sorry,” He mumbled and she watched him deflate. Her heart broke for the kid and she pulled him into a tight hug.

“What do you have to be sorry for, baby?” She whispered against his hair, “All you did was protect me. What would I have to be angry about?” She asked him and he shrugged, “Thank you, darling,” She said as she dropped kisses into his hair. She could feel him shaking and knew that this had rattled him, “I love you so much, Peter.”

“I love you too.”

0~0~0

Pepper was sat in the middle of the bed reading when Tony joined her that night. She hadn’t had time to really discuss what had happened earlier on the street with him yet. Sure, he knew Peter had stopped someone from attacking her, but that was about it.

She sat her book to the side and gladly laid down with Tony when he joined her. She pillowed her head on his chest and sighed at the familiar and comforting light from the reactor. “He called me mama,” She said. She could finally really react to it and let a few tears escape. Tony sat up only far enough to look at her and smiled widely.

“Yeah?” He asked and she nodded as he wiped her tears away. She laughed. God she was a mess.

“Yeah, he doesn’t realize he did it, I’m sure. But he did,” She said and sighed when Tony pressed a kiss to her forehead now, “As he was arguing with me about letting that man go,” She felt Tony stiffen at the mention of the man from earlier and subtly grabbed one of his hands and interlocked their fingers, “He called me mama as he was protecting me,” She whispered, “I didn’t think I could love him more than I already did, Tony.”

“I didn’t either, mama-bear,” He said and earned a glare, though it was lacking any real heat, “So he called you mama and you didn’t melt on the spot and start sobbing?” He asked and she smacked him on the shoulder for good measure.

“I couldn’t. I was trying to make sure he didn’t kill the man. I thought he might, honestly. You should have seen the absolute fury in his eyes,” She explained.

“I believe it. The kid would hurt anyone who messed with you… including me probably,” He laughed, “He’s seen you as his mother for a while now, Pep. He loves you, baby,” He whispered.

0~0~0

“So, Pete, did you send May her gift?” Ned asked as he, Peter, and MJ sat together at lunch. The boy in question had been completely zoned out of the conversation as he studied for his upcoming finals. The end of the school year always stressed him out.

“Gift?” Peter asked, though he didn’t really look up from his notebook.

“For Mother’s Day? Don’t you normally get her something? My dad and I went halves on my mom’s gift this year. She’s going to freak when she sees it,” Ned continued talking but Peter was completely lost in his thoughts.

Sure, he almost always got Aunt May a Mother’s Day gift. He’d been living with her since he was nine years old. The school always made you make a Mother’s Day gift, so he had always made an “Aunt’s Day gift” as he and she had started to call it. It was tradition. How could he have forgotten that the date was coming up? 

He quickly pulled out his phone and clicked through a few links before finding what he wanted. Peter ordered a beautiful bouquet of May’s favorite flowers to be delivered on Sunday when she got home from her night shift.

He pocketed his phone once again, but now he couldn’t focus on his work anymore. May would love the flowers, but what about the woman who was currently raising him? While May had loved him unconditionally, and he her, he’d never considered her to be his mother. But Pepper? He could hardly remember not thinking of her as his mother anymore. He went to her when he didn’t feel well, when he needed help, when he did something that he didn’t want Tony to find out about, when he wanted comfort but didn’t know how to ask for it, everything.

“Earth to the world’s largest spider,” MJ said teasingly and Peter rolled his eyes as he laughed.

“Sorry. Lost in thought. What?”

0~0~0

Peter had thought about this all day. He’d done some research and web-searching when he’d finished his afterschool patrol, and thought he’d settled on the perfect gift for Pepper. He ordered it and ensured that it would be delivered before Sunday. 

He couldn’t help but feel nervous though. He knew she loved him. She told him all the time. It would be embarrassing if he didn’t completely understand it. He loved her too. But, what if she didn’t seem him like that?

Sure, her name was on the adoption paperwork along with Tony’s, but what if it was just a formality? He wasn’t truly her kid, like she wasn’t truly his mother.

After another half an hour of worrying about this, he decided to get his mind off of it and headed down to the gym to see who was around.

0~0~0

Pepper woke slowly Sunday morning. She’d slept in being that Tony was out of town getting new parts for the suits and Peter had decided on a Sunday patrol. The other Avengers were also out of the tower this weekend, all with something or another to do. So she had the place to herself and decided that the best course of action was to sleep as long as she pleased.

Of course, as long as she pleased was no later than 9 am. She stretched and rolled over to grab her glasses off of her nightstand, deciding to forego her contacts for the day. As she pushed them onto her face, she caught sight of something else. On her nightstand, next to her state-of-the-arc alarm clock that Tony had specifically designed for her, was a little white box with a light blue ribbon tied around it in a bow. 

Pepper grinned as she sat up and reached for the box. Tony used to spoil her relentlessly. She’d put a stop to it pretty early on, telling him that expensive gifts couldn’t make her love him more than she already did. But, sometimes, he still bought her gifts. When she questioned him about them, he’d always shrug and just say “they’re just ‘cause gifts”. Because he loved her, she’d realized. They were normally practical gifts though; a new toothbrush every six months, the next book in whatever series she happened to be reading if he noticed that she was getting close to finishing the current one, a new glasses case when she’d somehow misplaced hers, a pair of beautiful gloves when he noticed how cold her hands were any time they were out together, practical.

What he hadn’t bought her in a while, and she was secretly thankful for, was jewelry. For a while, he’d showered her with more jewelry than she could ever wear. She pulled at the ribbon to untie the bow and sat it to the side before opening the lid. Tears quickly filled her eyes as she looked down at the necklace in the box. It was a beautiful silver chain with three interlocking rings hung from it. She realized immediately that those three rings represented her family: herself, Tony, and Peter. A few tears fell as she pulled the necklace from the box to get a better look at it.

The necklace was beautiful, and she knew that it would quickly become part of her daily wardrobe. She quickly clasped it around her neck and decided to make a quick trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face before calling Tony. 

As she exited the bathroom and grabbed her phone, she was interrupted and brought out of her thoughts by Friday. “Ms. Potts?”

“Yes, Friday?” She called out.

“There is a delivery person in the lobby for you,” Pepper furrowed her eyebrows. Delivery person? She grabbed a cardigan and pulled it on over her sleep shorts and tank top since she hadn’t had a chance to get dressed yet.

She headed out of her room and into the elevator to ride down to the lobby. She stepped out of the elevator, suddenly realizing she was barefoot and having to just be okay with it. “Are you Pepper Potts?” The man standing in the lobby asked her.

“Umm, yes,” She answered him and watched as he checked something off on his tablet before handing her a bag. She noticed the name of one of her favorite restaurants on it and glanced back up at the man.

“Thank you, Ms. Potts. Have a great day,” He said as he left. Pepper shrugged and got back into the elevator to head back up to the top floor.

She left the elevator and placed the bag on the counter before pulling out the contents within. Inside she found pancakes, fresh fruit, and bacon. She bit at her lip for a moment, “Friday?” She called “Would you scan this please?” She asked. They always had food that was delivered to the tower scanned. They scanned for anything from poison and allergies, to well-placed razor blades.

“Everything seems normal, Ms. Potts,” Friday told her and she smiled in response as she located a fork. 

She picked her phone up to call Tony while she ate and hit call on his contact. “Good morning,” He answered and she grinned in response as she chewed on a strawberry.

“Good morning,” She echoed, “You know, if you want to get laid you don’t have to send me gifts, you could just ask,” She laughed out and only heard silence on the other end, “Tony?”

“What are you talking about?” He asked and she could hear the genuine confusion, “I mean I am always down to get laid, but I didn’t send you anything.”

“You didn’t?” She asked as she put her fork down now and thought about her morning, “But there was a necklace on the bedside table and breakfast was just delivered,” She said.

“Umm, wasn’t me,” He told her.

“But, Tony, that doesn’t make any sense. Who else would it be?” She asked in confusion, “No one else is here,” She pointed out.

“Peter’s there,” Tony said after a moment and Pepper thought about it.

“Well, yeah, but he’s been on patrol since at least seven this morning,” She said softly as she furrowed her eyebrows and really thought about it, “Plus, it just doesn’t make sense. Why would he do this?” She asked.

“No idea, sweetheart,” Tony said and she could tell he was also thinking about the whole situation, “Let me know when you figure it out though okay?”

“I will,” Pepper answered him, “I love you.”

“I love you too, Pep.”

0~0~0

Pepper finished her breakfast as she thought about the mysterious gifts. She grabbed her phone and opened Peter’s contact. She smiled at the picture there of the two of them. He’d opened a snapchat while in the car with her one day and had laughed before opening the same filter and snapping a selfie with her. The two of them with the over-sized sunglasses and hats on was one of her favorite things.

She clicked to call him and put the phone to her ear, “Ms. Potts,” She furrowed her eyebrows as Friday spoke to her, “It appears that Mr. Parker’s phone is in his room. He left it there this morning.” Pepper sighed and ended the call.

“Friday?” She asked, “Who put the necklace next to me this morning?” 

“I’ve been told not to answer that question,” Friday answered and Pepper rolled her eyes. So it could still, in theory, be anyone. Friday would keep anyone’s secrets so long as they weren’t life-threatening.

“Great,” She whispered, “Did Peter say what time he would be back?” 

“He mentioned being back for lunch but not a specific time,” The AI answered her. Pepper nodded. The boy was a garbage disposal when it came to food. Of course he’d end his patrol around lunch time. 

0~0~0

She’d decided to take a bath while she was the only one home and could really enjoy it. She’d done a face mask and a full body scrub as well. It’d been a while since she’d had the time or energy to do all of them at one time and she was going to revel in it for a while.

She got out of the tub, threw her hair into a high bun, put her glasses back on, and chose a pair of soft shorts and a plain t-shirt for the day. It wasn’t like she had to look presentable for anyone after all.

“Ms. Potts, Peter is in the kitchen,” Friday told her and the woman thanked the AI for the information. 

Pepper pocketed her phone and left her room to go find her son. She stopped in the doorway to the kitchen and watched the boy inhale a sandwich while he simultaneously made a bowl of cereal as well. The stupid grin on her lips was firmly in place watching this goofball of a teenage superhero move around her home, his home, so easily.

“You know I can feel you staring at me, right?” He asked, voice laced with humor, and barely understood around the food still in his mouth.

Pepper just laughed and pushed off of the door jamb to walk over and lean against the counter next to him. He had apparently been there long enough to change as he was in a pair of jeans and a shirt instead of the suit. “I forget sometimes,” She answered his question from before, “Are you planning on heading back out today?” She asked and he answered by shaking his head. “Then are you still willing to teach me how to play that god awful game of yours?” She asked. She started to ask him about the necklace, but figured if he had gone through all of this trouble to keep the secret, she would let him tell her in his own time.

“Seriously?” He asked wide eyed and clearly excited. She nodded and laughed at him, “Totally!” He answered her, grabbed his bowl of cereal, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her into the living room. He tossed her a controller, “So this button does this and…”

0~0~0

They’d played for a couple of hours before Pepper had finally just started laughing. Peter had looked over at her in wide-eyed concern and she just shook her head as she continued to laugh. “Pepper?” He asked and she laughed even harder, “I knew all of that work would get to you one day,” He said playfully and earned an attempt at a glare through the laughs that were now subsiding, “What is so funny?”

“I suck at this,” She finally laughed out and watched his eyes widen again and he opened his mouth to contradict her, “No, darling, I do. It’s fine,” She laughed again, “And you have been way too patient over the last couple of hours. I am terrible at this. Go ahead and admit it. It’s fine,” She laughed some more. Peter watched on, eyes still wide for a few moments before his own smile started to stretch across his lips and he also laughed at the whole situation.

“You’re not that bad,” He tried and she just shook her head at him.

“Baby, you don’t need to save my feelings on this one. It’s fine. I’m good just watching you actually play it for more than six minutes without dying,” She said.

Another half hour later, and they were catching the mid-afternoon news. Peter usually caught the headlines just in case there was something he needed to clear up or something minor he could get to quickly. Pepper liked to watch them as well. She never knew when Tony’s name might come up and she liked to see the blurbs for herself.

Nearing the end of the broadcast, one of the anchors looked to the other and said, “Well, I hope everyone out there has had a great Mother’s Day full of love and kindness. This is-” She cut the TV off before he could finish. That was it! It was Mother’s Day.

“Pepper?” The boy next to her on the couch asked when she didn’t say anything after suddenly and uncharacteristically turning the news off, “Everything okay?”

“Peter,” She started and then turned to face him and his adorably cute confused face, “Are you keeping a secret from me?” She asked and watched the boy’s eyes suddenly start to dart around the room so he wouldn’t make eye contact with her, “Specifically a secret that Friday also wouldn’t tell me about?” She prodded and he now added a nervous hand to run through his hair while his eyes still didn’t find hers, “Peter?”

“No?” He tried and finally looked at her, “…yes,” He said and she breathed out a laugh at the boy, “Are you mad?” He asked her and she stared at him incredulously. 

“Why on Earth would I be mad?” She asked him. God, how could he even think that. She was currently holding back a flood gate of happy tears at the thought that he’d done all of this for her for Mother’s Day.

“It’s just,” He rubbed at the back of his neck, “I don’t know,” He stumbled through his words, “I wasn’t sure,” He trailed off again, “How you might take,” He sighed, “Me getting you a Mother’s Day gift,” He finally mumbled. The woman could no longer hold back the few tears and reached out to grab one of his hands. He looked up at her and she watched his eyes widen and his shoulders slump, “See? Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry!” He rushed to apologize.

She shook her head as she let out a giggle and tugged him into her arms. “Peter, I love you so damn much. You know that?” She felt him nod against her shoulder after a moment, “And the fact that you think enough of me to celebrate today with me means more to me than you could ever know, darling.” She continued, “And, I’m sorry, but I personally am an emotional mess when it comes to you. Just ask Tony. I cry every time you do something I consider miraculous,” Peter pulled back then and shot her a confused look. The woman laughed and wiped under her eyes, “I cried all into Tony’s shirt the first time you called me Pepper,” She gave as an example and earned a sharp laugh from the kid.

“And as for how I might take it?” She referred back to his speech that he had fumbled for, “Peter, darling, I completely and whole-heartedly claim you as mine in every way except biologically. I love you more than anyone in this world,” He shot her a look, “Yes, even more than Tony but we’re not going to tell him that okay?” She said and wiped away the final remnants of her tears.

“I love you too, Pepper,” Peter said softly, “And for the record,” He said and she looked at him curiously, “I consider you my mother in every way as well,” He whispered. 

She swallowed thickly and then wasn’t successful in holding back more tears, “Dammit, I just stopped crying,” She exclaimed and earned a genuine laugh from the kid. “Thank you for my gifts, darling,” She finally said and couldn’t resist hugging him once more, “What do you say to take out for dinner?”

“Chinese?” He asked cheekily and she just nodded. Of course the two of them had the same favorite that Tony hated.

“Definitely.”

0~0~0

“Hey, Penis!” Peter sighed, he couldn’t make it through finals week without Flash starting something? Really? “I saw that hot red head who picked you up from school the other day. That how you’re paying your rent now?” Flash taunted and Peter felt his blood absolutely boil. Normally Happy picked him up if he wasn’t going on patrol and he knew to park down the block so Peter didn’t have to deal with things like this. But he’d exited the building Monday and seen Pepper’s car there and her in the driver’s seat waiting for him. He didn’t have the heart to tell her she should have done otherwise.

“Shut up, Flash,” Peter said evenly. He could take a lot of things, but he didn’t take kindly to people messing with his friends or his family.

“Oh, did I strike a nerve, Penis? Who would have known that it would only take a hot piece of ass to make you fight back?” He laughed and his buddies did as well.

“Stop talking about her, Flash,” Peter said, he was beyond pissed. But he couldn’t start a fight on the last day of finals week.

“I can’t say I even blame you,” The boy laughed, “I mean I’d love to tap that,” He made a vulgar hand motion and Peter saw red, “I bet she’s so tigh-” He didn’t get to finish that statement as Peter’s fist had made direct contact with his nose resulting in a sickening crunch and blood going everywhere.

0~0~0

“Mr. Stark, your phone is ringing,” Friday announced. Tony laughed.

“Yeah, Fri, I heard it,” He said back.

“It’s Peter’s school,” The AI informed him and he was quickly up and moving across the lab to the device currently blaring his ringtone.

He answered the call and his face dropped more and more over the course of the call. A fight? That didn’t sound right at all. He hung up after saying he’d be there soon and took a few deep breaths. He then heard the phone beep and looked down.

Peter: Please don’t tell Pepper

Tony furrowed his eyebrows. Normally Peter went directly to Pepper when he was in trouble, not that it happened often, but still. This was getting more and more odd by the second. He didn’t respond, but he also didn’t head upstairs to inform Pepper just yet. Just told Friday to let her know he would be out for a while.

0~0~0

When Tony Stark entered the school building, it got completely silent. He pulled his sunglasses off of his face, raised an eyebrow, and entered the front office. Peter was sitting there with steely look on his face. “What the hell, kid?” Tony asked and Peter looked away from him as he blinked rapidly.

He stared at Peter for a few more moments, trying to think of anything that could have caused this, before an office door was opening, “Mr. Stark?” He turned and saw Peter’s principal there, “You and Peter can join us.”

Tony waited for the kid to stand and they both entered the office. Tony saw a boy Peter’s age already there holding a bloody towel to his face. The boy’s eyes widened dramatically when he saw Tony. He watched the kid’s eyes flick back and forth from himself to Peter several times. He assumed this was Flash. Hell, he couldn’t fault Peter for finally decking the kid who had been messing with him for years.

After they had both taken a seat, the principal started talking. He told them that Peter would be suspended for starting a fight. Flash had apparently not fought back, Tony could tell why, his nose was still gushing blood at this point. Shouldn’t there at least be a school nurse around?

“And Mr. Parker won’t tell us why, so we really have no choice,” Tony nodded at all of the new information and looked over at Peter. The kid looked to be on the verge of either crying hysterically or screaming at the top of his lungs. Right now, Tony didn’t know which he would prefer. But, he did know that if the kid looked like that, he wasn’t going to talk to him about it right now. Especially not here.

“If that’s all?” Tony asked as he stood. The principal looked at him in shock, expecting more from him. Most parents forced their kids to tell what had happened.

“Umm, yes, that’s all,” He said and Tony gestured for Peter to follow him out.

0~0~0

When he got the kid in the car, he was full of questions. He couldn’t settle on one and so he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Peter hadn’t said a word, just put on his seatbelt and leaned his head against the window.

“Peter,” Tony sighed and saw the kid flinch, “Peter, what happened?” He asked. He wasn’t even mad at this point. He just wanted to know what could have made Peter so angry.

“Nothing,” Peter mumbled and Tony sighed.

“We both know that isn’t true, you don’t start fights,” He pointed out and saw Peter start to blink rapidly again, “Peter-” He was cut off by the boy’s outburst.

“He was talking about her, okay?!” Peter yelled and then broke into sobs, “He was talking about mama. And he was saying-” His voice broke as he cried and Tony pulled over as soon as he found somewhere to do so and put the car in park, “He was saying all these disgusting things about her,” Peter continued after a moment, “And they were all joining in and laughing about it and she doesn’t deserve it!” He cried, “She doesn’t deserve that. God, I hate him!” Peter yelled, now more frustrated than anything, “Ugh!” He screamed.

Tony let him calm down for a few moments before he couldn’t help but smile. This kid was his everything at this point. There was no hiding it. He reached out and hugged the boy to him, “What?” Peter asked in shock when he finally pulled away, “Are you smiling?” He asked, even more confused now.

“Peter, I probably would have done a lot worse, dude. I can’t fault you for anything that happened today,” He laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair. “I love that you love so hard, buddy. I love that you stand up for people. I love that you normally just take whatever he has to say, but because it was about someone you care about, you let him have it. It’s honorable, Peter. I don’t give a shit that you were suspended if it was something truly worth standing up for.”

“I am sorry, though,” Peter mumbled, “At least I had finished my last final,” He said then and earned a chuckle. “Can we not tell Pepper though?” He asked in a small voice.

“Buddy,” He started and Peter’s eyes pleaded with him, “You can’t go to school next week. Don’t you think she might notice?” He asked and the boy shrugged, “Don’t you think we should tell her?”

“I don’t want her to know what they were saying. Hell, I wish I hadn’t heard it,” Peter pleaded with him, “It was nasty,” He continued.

“I’m sure it was, Pete,” Tony started, “Most teenage boys are disgusting,” He agreed.

Peter laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He rolled his head to the side to look at Tony, “I can’t tell her,” He said brokenly, “I just can’t.”

“Can we tell her together?” Tony asked him and Peter swallowed thickly and thought about it for a long few moments before giving a shaky nod, “Okay, then you’re going to have to tell me what the little asshole said.”

“Do I have to?” Peter said and Tony watched his tears start to form in his eyes again. 

“Just me, kid. Just this one time,” Tony said and ran a hand through Peter’s hair.

“Fine,” So Peter told him. He broke off suddenly several times and Tony swore he might actually get sick from having to repeat what Flash had said about Pepper. When he was finished, the boy just looked broken. Tony was all but seething, but he couldn’t focus on that right now. He had to be strong for Peter.

“Thank you, kid,” Tony said. He knew that was hard for Peter. The kid was still crying softly. “You did good, Peter. You did good.”

“I just hate it,” Peter whispered, “Pepper hasn’t ever hurt anyone,” He said, “Why are people so cruel?”

“I don’t know, buddy,” Tony said softly. He thought back to Peter’s earlier outburst and decided to bite the bullet, “You know you called her ‘mama’ earlier?” 

“What,” Peter asked with his eyebrows drawn together, “No I didn’t,” He shook his head.

“Buddy, yes you did. And it’s okay, you know?” Tony said, and his hand still trailed through Peter’s hair from where his arm rested on the seat behind the kid, “She loves it anyway,” He mentioned.

“What do you mean?” Peter whipped his head to look at Tony, “I’ve never called her that for her to hear.”

“You did actually,” Tony said with a smile, “The day that you stopped that man from attacking her in the city. You called her mama then,” He said softly, “She cried all over me, kid,” Tony said with a laugh.

Peter bit at his bottom lip and looked down at his shoes, “She doesn’t mind?” He asked and looked towards Tony who shook his head, “It’s been really hard remembering to call her Pepper. It’s gotten really hard actually,” He admitted.

“Kid, it would probably make her entire month, hell her year, to hear you do it without being under distress,” He told Peter and finally saw the faintest hint at a smile, “We both love you so much, kid.”

“I love you too, dad.”

0~0~0

Pepper looked up when the door to her office opened unexpectedly. She saw Tony and shot him a smile as she finished up the call she was on. When she hung up, she looked at her fiancé who had taken a seat across from her and could see that he was upset about something, “What is it?” She asked concerned.

“So,” Tony started and got up to walk around the desk and lean back against it. He reached down and grabbed one of her hands and held it between his own, “Peter’s suspended,” He said simply.

“What,” She asked in shock as she stood abruptly and tried to walk around Tony.

“Pepper, hold on,” He said softly and tugged her gently. She sighed and stepped back so she was standing in front of him, “The kid is upset. He’s in the shower right now,” He explained, “He got in a fight… well I guess really he just broke some kid’s nose, but they called it a fight.”

“What the hell, Tony?!”

“Look, he’s really upset about the whole thing. He did tell me what happened, but it took a while and he cried and yelled and it was intense. We decided to tell you together because he is terrified of telling you himself.”

“Tony, why would he be scared to tell me anything?” She asked him. It didn’t make sense. Normally she was keeping him out of trouble with Tony.

“Pepper, you’re going to have to trust me. I promise you’re not going to be upset… not with him anyway, so just act like everything is normal for the time being,” He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, “I figured I’d order in dinner tonight. Get the kid’s favorite.”

“I don’t like this,” She protested.

“I know, sweetheart,” He said and kissed her softly, “But please trust me on this one, okay?”

“Okay.”

0~0~0

They’d had a comfortable dinner. Tony had in fact ordered from Peter’s favorite restaurant and had even pulled a slight smile out of the kid when he’d noticed. The three of them had dinner in their pajamas and the conversation did seem strained, but they all somewhat knew why.

Pepper stood to take her plate into the kitchen. She ran her fingers through Peter’s hair and kissed him on the side of the head before picking his plate up as well. When she came back, the kid was on the verge of tears and she felt terrible. What had happened? She caught Tony’s eyes and subtly flicked her own to Peter.

Tony looked over at his teenager and saw how upset the kid looked again, “Peter?” He said and watched as Peter slowly turned to look at him, “Buddy?” He asked and Peter finally sighed and nodded. “Pepper, would you join us in the living room?”

“Umm, sure?” She said in confusion. She didn’t have to fake it; she truly knew nothing that was going on. She walked into the living room and took a cautious seat on the couch.

Tony took a seat on the edge of the coffee table across from her and beckoned the kid to join him. Peter honestly looked like he might be sick, and Pepper nearly couldn’t squelch her need to go into “mama-bear mode” as Tony liked to call it. He did finally take a seat next to Tony, though he wouldn’t look at her. 

“Peter,” Tony said and Pepper flicked her gaze to her son.

“I got in a fight,” Peter whispered and Pepper opened her mouth to reply but closed it again when he started talking, “I’m suspended next week. I’m really sorry,” He finished.

“Who did you get in a fight with?” Pepper asked, eyebrows raised, “Why?” She asked and watched the boy’s face crumble nearly immediately. Her eyes widened and she looked to Tony.

“I can’t,” He sobbed and Tony wrapped an arm around the kid’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. He whispered something into his ear and Peter nodded before standing and leaving the room.

Pepper looked at him questioningly, “He’ll be back in a minute, I told him to go wash his face,” Tony said. He grabbed her hands in both of his, “Pepper he got in a fight defending you,” Tony explained.

“What are you talking about?” She asked and honestly couldn’t wrap her mind around this, “Me?”

“Sweetheart,” Tony said, “That kid, Flash?” He asked and watched her eyes darken when he mentioned him. She nodded, “He made a few nasty comments about you,” She opened her mouth to question him, “I’m going to tell you what he said, but know that Peter doesn’t want to hear it again,” She nodded and he repeated what had been said about her. At the end, when he sat back, her eyes were clouded over.

“He said that?” She whispered.

“I’m sorry,” She whipped her head around to see Peter standing in the doorway of the living room, “I’m so sorry,” He said, a few tears escaping his eyes as he rounded the couch and neared her. She enveloped him in her arms as he sat down, “I’m so sorry, mama. I’m so sorry,” He cried. She ran her hands over his back as he cried softly against her shoulder. She turned wide eyes back to Tony and he just nodded to her, soft smile playing his lips. 

“It’s okay, baby,” Pepper said. She nearly had a lapful of fifteen-year-old boy, but she couldn’t care less at the moment, “God, Peter, it’s okay,” She said and let her own tears escape now. She rocked them gently back and forth. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” She whispered to him as she dropped kisses into his hair and tightened her hold on him, “I love you so much, darling.”

“I love you too, mama,” He said brokenly against her shoulder.

“Hey, bud, it’s okay,” Tony said softly as he moved from sitting on the coffee table to sitting on Peter’s other side, “None of this was your fault, Underoos,” He said and rubbed his hand over Peter’s back.

“He’s right, darling,” Pepper said against his hair, “No one blames you for this. In fact, thank you, baby. I know you don’t normally fight anyone except criminals. But it does, selfishly of course, make me happy that you stood up for me.” She shot Tony a look when he let out a laugh.

“What, Pep? The kid’s nose is broken. I’d say he defended your honor pretty well,” Tony said with a laugh and also earned a giggle from Pepper. 

Peter finally pulled back and wiped at his eyes. “You’re not mad?” He asked quietly and Pepper shook her head.

“Of course not, P. No one is mad at you,” She looked to Tony who agree with her quickly. Peter seemed to calm down marginally.

0~0~0

The rest of the night was spent with the three of them watching movies and Pepper even showing Tony how absolutely horrible she was at Peter’s video game. 

When the kid headed to bed, Tony bent and lifted Pepper from the couch earning a soft squeal of surprise before she settled, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, “Mr. Stark,” She said in greeting and kissed him on the lips as she was carried to their room.

“Ms. Potts,” He said back in the same tone and kicked their door shut when he made it into the room, “Do you have any idea how much I love and adore you?”

“The same crazy amount that I love and adore you?” She asked him playfully. He crawled up the bed and dropped her suddenly to the bed. She laughed as she reached up and smacked him playfully, “Honestly, Tony, I love the two of you so much more than I could have ever imagined.”

“I know just how you feel, Pepper,” He said as he kissed her softly, “Did you hear that he called you ‘mama’?” He teased gently.

“Stop, I’ll start crying again,” She warned but she was completely serious and he knew it. This was their life now. And he wouldn’t want it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone enjoyed this, I was also thinking of writing a Penny Parker story. Any interest in that?


End file.
